Heitkamp Announces Significant Federal Funding for Native American Housing in ND
WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 18, 2016 – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, announced more than $20 million in federal grant funding for Native American housing assistance in North Dakota.
“We must continue to work together to create better housing conditions on North Dakota’s Indian Reservations,” said Heitkamp. “Poor housing conditions create negative effects in every aspect of a person’s life, as it can impact a child’s ability to learn in the classroom and undermine an entire family’s health. No one should have to worry about having a safe roof over their head, and I’m encouraged to see this continued support for Native American communities to help improve affordable housing.”
These federal funds will be dispersed to four North Dakota Indian Reservations as follows:
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa – $7,503,415
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe – $5,167,658
Three Affiliated Tribes of Fort Berthold – $5,119,616
Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe – $2,635,830
Heitkamp recently spoke with the Native American Indian Housing Council on February 10, 2016, where she continued her push to improve housing conditions in Indian Country. Heitkamp encouraged Native American communities to not give up until everyone can be safe and secure in their homes. Since Heitkamp’s time as North Dakota’s Attorney General in the 1990s, she has been committed to addressing the serious housing concerns that are still too prevalent on reservations today.
This federal grant funding is provided through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) program. Under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA), the IHBG provides federal funding for disadvantaged Native American communities to improve affordable housing by remolding, modernizing, and rehabilitant existing homes, while also providing housing counseling, creating safe residential environments, and improving rental housing management services.
